Friday, June 10, 2011

Movies About Borderline Personality Disorder

Boogie Nights
Numerous brilliantly disordered performances -- esp. Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds -- in this really excellent film about the 70's porn industry and its denizens in search of "family."

White Oleander

Realistic and scary portrait of Michelle Pfeiffer as homicidal BPD mother whose daughter must grow up in foster care, and their troubled relationship.

Mommie Dearest

Eerily accurate portrait of BPD/NPD Hollywood mother Joan Crawford. Based on the autobiographical book by Christina Crawford (who also wrote the intro to C. Lawson's Understanding the Borderline Mother)

Girl, Interrupted

(for the record: Angelina Jolie's character is a classic acting-out Borderline; Winona Ryder is less convincing as an acting-in Borderline in the title role) I recommend the book instead.

What Lies Beneath

Harrison Ford -- in an atypical role -- as gaslighting BPD husband

Now, Voyager

Film classic with Betty Davis, Claude Rains - middle-aged daughter of a shrewish, domineering BPD mother attempts to find her own path through therapy.

Body Heat

Kathleen Turner as seductress Maddy; William Hurt as a typically gullible non-Borderline -- great movie, too!

Ordinary People

Mary Tyler Moore is excellent as icy suburban BPD wife and mother who splits her sons and husband good/bad.

Betty Blue

Beatrice D'alle is brilliant as love-obsessed, self-injuring Betty, completely intertwined with her classically non-Borderline lover Zorg, in this gorgeous and tragic French film

Gia: Too Beautiful to Die, Too Wild to Live (1998 HBO film, available on videotape)
Directed by Michael Christofer, starring Angelina Jolie as the tragic supermodel Gia Marie Carangi.
For my money, this biographical movie is the very best screen representation of a female Borderline, vastly more emotionally insightful than Fatal Attraction. Jolie is uncannily brilliant in this Golden-Globe-winning role (and has written about her own personal experience with self-injury).

Fatal Attraction

Glenn Close as raging Borderline mistress

Sophie's Choice

Kevin Kline as Sophie's (Meryl Streep) very convincing BPD/Addict lover. William Styron's novel is even better in its detailed character study.

Single White Female

Jennifer Jason Leigh is just TOO realistic as scary BPD roommate

Sleeping with the Enemy

Patrick Bergin as Borderline/OCD husband to Julia Roberts' terrified wife.

Basic Instinct

(Sharon Stone as the classic bisexual femme fatale)

Black Widow

Theresa Russell as 'serial wife' caught by an unstoppable Debra Winger

The Effect of GammaRays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

http://www.amctv.com/show/detail/0,,8991-1-EST,00.html Joanne Woodward won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her portrayal of a domineering alcoholic mother of two teenage daughters in this film version of Paul Zindel's Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

All About Eve

Brilliant story of friend-betraying actress/social-climber Eve Harrington, played to conniving, innocent-eyed perfection Anne Baxter.
Brilliant, entertaining classic with Bette Davis as the betrayed mentor.

Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Bette again in a NonBP role; this time playing the victim of a scheming cousin out for her property. Great illustraton of 'gaslighting.'

Play Misty for Me

Obsessed onetime fling Jessica Walter stalks Clint Eastwood

Borderline

2002 film with Gina Gershon, Michael Biehn

Henry & June

(Maria de Medeiros as Anais Nin)

Breakfast at Tiffany's

(Audrey Hepburn as Borderline-Lite Holly Golightly, trying to please everyone but herself, and terrified of love)

After Hours

Fabulous dark comedy with Rosanna Arquette, Griffin Dunne

Frances

(Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer)

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

(Diane Keaton: schoolteacher by day, cruising sex-addict by night)

A Streetcar Named Desire

(or any filmed fiction by Tennessee Williams -- "Blaaaaanche!")

Dangerous Liasons

(John Malkovitch/Glenn Close as Borderline/NPD couple)

Memento 

(Guy Pierce as dissociative amnesiac)

Borderline Normal

Depicts the effects of maternal parental alienation on the child of a divorcing couple. 2002

Really cheesy but clinically pretty accurate 1982 TV movie with Shannon Dougherty

Obsessed

"SHE said: They had an affair. They were in love. He was leaving his wife. HE said: It never happened. Who do you believe?" 2002 TV movie with Jenna Elfman

American Beauty
Kevin Spacey, dealing with his wifes BPD on a 4 axis stage, he tries to compensate by just taking charge of his own life and living it to the fullest.

Biography of Princess Diana  
 

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